Maria of Portugal

Maria of Portugal (6 February 1313-18 January 1357) was the Queen of Castile and Leon from 1328 to 1350 with Alfonso XI of Castile.

Biography
Maria was born on 6 February 1313, the daughter of Afonso IV of Portugal and Beatrice of Castile. She was from the Catholic Portuguese House of Burgundy, the ruling dynasty of Portugal since the 12th century, and in 1328 she was married to King Alfonso XI of Castile as a political gesture. She was unhappy with Alfonso, who sired ten children with his mistress Leonor de Guzman since 1327, and he paid more attention to her. Maria spent most of her time at the Royal Monastery of San Clemente in Seville, and she did not take part in court affairs. In July 1340 King Afonso IV threatened to invade Castile, forcing Alfonso to imprison his mistress and pay more attention to Maria of Portugal, which gained Alfonso the support of Portugal in his campaigns against the Nasrid Emirate.

After her husband's death in 1350, Maria remained influential in court, and in 1354 she took part in the rebellion against her son Peter of Castile. Maria gave the city of Toro to the rebels during the uprising against Peter, helping in his capture. She returned to Portugal afterwards, and she died in 1357 at the age of 43.